We received the sad news recently from his lifelong friend, Mr. Carl McDermott, that Francis (Franny) Cole the subject of a Society oral history interview and the Grand Marshal of the 2012 July Fourth Parade passed away Friday, July 20. Franny was 91 and Carl had known him since he was eight years old.
I had known him for a fraction of that time, but was always touched by the warm personality, joy, and optimism of this extraordinary gentleman.
The obituary as printed in the Burlington County Times can be found here.
We reprise below references to Mr. Cole as found in the Gaslight News and this website.
Anticipation builds toward Riverton’s 115th Glorious July 4th – blog post
Gaslight News – February 2011 “Cole Dairy oral history video & Rivertonhistory.com – Mr. Francis Cole’s 31 min. video and hands-on tour of refurbished HSR website on next agenda”
Gaslight News – November 2010 “Cole Dairy, 5th & Main —Where Riverton ‘Got Milk'”
Here is the oral history we videotaped with Franny in 2010 in three parts, about 30 minutes total. Mr. Francis Cole Remembers Cole Dairy Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.
Fran’s name is listed on slide #4 and a 1944 photo of him in US Army uniform is on slide #33. Click here to download the 51MB PowerPoint Slideshow of the Riverton Veterans Honor Roll Album. – John McCormick, Gaslight News editor
